“While the president must offer Parliament, the nation, and the public protector an explanation for why he benefited unduly from the upgrades to Nkandla, he must also put real measures in place to stop corruption in government at large.”

Austerity measures should form part of Zuma's plans for the next five years, especially as the president's administration had become increasingly bloated.

“We must cut the costs of running government and spend state resources on infrastructure that facilitates growth,” Maimane said.

“Instead of large government, large cars, and large houses, let us rather see large projects to improve this country, while saving wasted expenditure through tighter controls on spending by opening tender processes and making expenditure transparent.”

A strong message on improving trade relations was key to bolstering the economy.

This included fast-tracking the Tripartite Free Trade Area in Africa to boost trade with other African economies.

Zuma would also help if he were to negotiate a continuation of the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) - which allowed duty-free trade between the US and Africa.